ESTIMATED POWER

Do calculated power works?

Let´s start form the beginning, in 1970 when there where no available GPS or even heart rate monitors the only tool that a runner could use was the speed, (time over distance) so you had to maintain that number all over the race and hope not to have a decay at the end of the competition.

And then heart rate monitors appear, but that tool did´t work to improve a lot on maintaining a certain pace since the heart rate does not get down very easy and depends of temperature and pressure factors, it was a good tool but not for racing.

And then came efficiency that is not other thing than speed divided on heart rate but again the hear rate has a lot of factors, it was more for developing a better running technique.

so runners at some point still depend on the speed number for racing except when there´s a grade on the course, why??

because when there´s grade on a course your optimal speed depends of gravity and gravity produces higher metabolic costs, so you can do an easy algorithm for estimating power for running and run with an optimal speed on different grades.

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/.../running-with-power-how.../

And that´s why Garmin does with his power calculation for running app.

https://apps.garmin.com/.../741afa11-0250-48e2-86b5...

So why Garmin do not estimates power in cycling?

Because on cycling there is an exponential number of variables like wind that affects 4x more, aerodynamics, position on bike, rolling resistance, transmission coefficient, air density, air pressure, cadence, weight, height etc.

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

And also because is easier to do this with Garmin vector system.

But all of this variables except from wind, can be calculated and the most important thing, is that even if the number is wrong by a 15% margin the calculated power is a constant that you can trust using this at start to end of your event for maintaining an similar effort all the race.

And even more, if you also train and race with real power you can have a very similar data calibrating the variables.

That´s why calculated power is not better than real power but is better than just a speed meter, and that´s why we develop calculated power apps.

https://apps.garmin.com/.../f8488290-45d3-4448-a331.../apps

Test with Power Wind Pro algorithm and Garmin Vector